20 Dec 2006
The connection is simple, and conclusive -- outdoor activity will improve fitness and lifespan.
A spate of information on childhood obesity relates it, in part, to too much TV watching and consequent physical inactivity. Now researchers in Chicago and Boston are looking at the implications for the nationwide childhood obesity epidemic for shorter lifespan and a poorer state of lifetime health. They conclude that, while we have enjoyed increases in expected lifespan for several decades, the new lack of childhood activity and its extra pounds will actually shorten average lifespan. Main risks occur in childhood and are parent and caregiver responsibilities.
"Obesity rates are increasing fastest among children, and they will carry obesity-related health risks throughout their lives," says
David S. Ludwig, MD, PhD, of Children's Hospital in Boston. He is one of the prominent researchers to forecast the coming wave of problems if we don't stem the rising tide of childhood obesity now. (WebMD: Will Obesity Shorten the American Life Span?)
Flashback: A study by researchers at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, along with experts at the CDC and the National Institutes of Health, concludes that a child's weight increases with the number of hours he or she spends watching television each day. For more information: TV Watching, Childhood Obesity Linked
These studies and more suggest what we've long known: yet another benefit of a daily Green Hour of outdoor play and learning is a longer, healthier life.
